the 2023 World Cup will have a South American accent with Argentina, Chile and Uruguay

Published on : 15/05/2023 – 07:42

If the Pumas have never missed a Rugby World Cup since the first in 1987, they will finally be able to compete in this competition wearing the image of their favorite mammal. The Argentinian Rugby Federation has just replaced the speckled jaguar present on the jerseys of the national team with a puma. In the 1960s, Argentina toured Rhodesia where a local journalist mistakenly called the South Americans the “Pumas” And Argentine players have kept that nickname ever since, while wearing a spotted jaguar on a blue background at heart level.

Argentinians are like this ready to roar in less than four months in France, a country in which they have already shown their fangs during a World Cup. During the 2007 edition, they had played a very bad trick on the Blues by beating them in the opening match at the Stade de France (17-12). The two teams met again six weeks later to play in the small final, this time at the Parc des Princes, with an even bigger victory for Argentina (34-10).

This historic third place in the world has allowed Argentines to enjoy a new status. Eager to take part in top international competitions, they succeeded in joining the Rugby Championship in 2012 alongside Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. IThey were also able to align between 2016 and 2020 a professional franchise, that of the Jaguars, in the international competition of Super Rugby. The Argentinian internationals thus played together all year round, under the jersey of the Jaguars or that of the Pumas.

A first South American duel

This organization of the Argentine selection, which finished 4th of the 2015 World Cup, shattereds in 2020. The Jaguars franchise has disappeared from Super Rugby and most Argentinian internationals have found contracts with French or English clubs. The year 2022 also ended for Argentina on a rather disappointing record of 5 wins for 7 losses. But she still achieved the feat of beating England at Twickenham in November (30-27).

Their World-2023 opponents know how powerful and technical these players are capable of achieving feats. AT start with England who will meet Argentina in the group stage. And the Pumas also have something to scare Japan, Samoa and, finally, Chile. Because for the first time, a South American duel will take place during a World Cup.

Small thumb of the competition, Chile expects a very tough challenge against its neighbor of Cordillera. The standard teams of these two nations have not faced each other for almost thirty years and a victory of Argentina 70 to 7 in 1993. In recent decades, Chile only faces selections of players playing in Argentina. “It will be a historic match for South America. It shows that rugby is progressing in the region,” estimated Paul Tait, co-founder of the specialized site America Rugby News.

The development of a professional championship

Chile’s qualification was the main surprise of the qualifiers. The Condors, who have a small pool of players, play this competition for the first time in their history, after eliminating two higher-ranked teamsCanada and the ANDtats-Unis.

Suffering like his neighbors from international isolation, he took advantage of the launch in 2020 of the first professional championship in South America (the SLAR), financed by the World Rugby body. About fifty Chilean players united in the Selknams franchise now train all year round together, facing teams created in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay. And this group feeds the essentials of the national team when they play matcheses internationals, few Chilean players playing abroad.

Uruguay has a similar operation, with a local franchise anchored in the Penarol club. It brings together the vast majority of Urugu internationalsayens, known as the Teros, and won the SLAR last year, beating the Selknams in the final. For the 2023 edition, SLAR has become Super Rugby Americas, a 7-team championship in which a franchise of ANDUnited States replaced that of Colombia.

A “very special moment” for South America

Uruguay is about to play its fifth World Cup. During that of 2015, she had achieved the feat of beating Fiji (30-27) in a pool match. And she aims to be as brilliant in a few months against New Zealand, France,Italy et Namibia.

Sebastian Pineyrua, president of the South American Rugby Federation, considers that the participation of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay constitutes “a very special moment”. Because never three South American nations had competed in the same edition of this competition, which brings together only twenty selections. A presence which, according to him, is largely explained by ce professional championship created In the region.

He logically hopes that this unprecedented exhibition will allow the South American selections to continue their progress. “We have two main challenges : that of football, which takes up a lot of space with us, and that of matcheses international. Our teams lack good level opponents to be able to prepare better,” laments Sebastian Pineyrua.

At the continental level, the southern part of the Americas is in any case in better health than that of the North, since Canada and the United States, which will host the World Cup in 2031, will not play in France this fall. However, these two countries have been working for several years to professionalize this sport in their territories. To avoid the same fate, the nations of South America will therefore have to succeed, while improving the sporting level of their national teams, in increasing the number of clubs, players and coaches. And good performances by Latino teams in the World Cup-2023 would necessarily help them in their business.